I can understand that Ray, and I would be surprised if the majority didn't agree with you. I don't know whether they experienced any issues with the crossings at Aintree, but I would expect some of the horses would be unnerved by the change in surface and the potential for injury to (a) horse/s or rider/s.

There is also the point of it being the AJC's facilities, and they always regarded the motor racing as very much secondary to the equestrian pursuits.

- an impossible hairpin with permanent yellows
- a narrow bridge or arch with no overtaking
- at least one railway crossing, preferably making cars take off a bit
- tram lines along at least one straight
- a point where two straights face each other, divided perhaps by a barn?
- a really dangerously sited pit entry
- a pit exit passing through a tunnel under the track
- a section paved with some sort of slippery paving slabs
- a corner paved with cobbles

At the old Alexandra Park circuit in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, there was a corner called SUICIDE BEND . Going off there you were confronted by a steep drop followed by a row of ablution blocks. You were literally and figuratively in deep sh*t if you went off there…

At the old Alexandra Park circuit in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, there was a corner called SUICIDE BEND . Going off there you were confronted by a steep drop followed by a row of ablution blocks. You were literally and figuratively in deep sh*t if you went off there…

In Australia, we have an expression that fits that situation.........it's called "Going for a row of dunnies". That's the more polite version!

The former North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina featured a back straight that went uphill and a main straight that went downhill.

A bit like Hamley Bridge.[Bell Bay Speedway] Turn 1 is uphill to turn 2 over a crest down to turn 3 and turn 4 starts to go uphill again. And it is egg shaped as well, 1-2 is wide open whereas 3-4 tightens up considerably,,,, and the pit gate is about 100mm inside the posts, doesnt sound much until you hit it sideways!! Ask Peter Denton, it was h u g e! With apologies to Daryl Eastlake

- an impossible hairpin with permanent yellows- a narrow bridge or arch with no overtaking- at least one railway crossing, preferably making cars take off a bit- tram lines along at least one straight- a point where two straights face each other, divided perhaps by a barn?- a really dangerously sited pit entry- a pit exit passing through a tunnel under the track- a section paved with some sort of slippery paving slabs- a corner paved with cobbles

Sounds good to me, but lets see what the Risk Assessment says....

almost we need to add a boardtrack extreme high banked curve sectionand a really off cambered cornerand a bit of dirt track with rutsand a high crowned paved bit tooand a corkscrew too

Of course, modern tracks are far too antiseptic to qualify - though the otherwise forgettable Valencia "street circuit" does cross a swing bridge. I had thought that said bridge was welded shut for the duration of the Grand Prix weekend but according to Martin Brundle (during qualifying for the recent European GP), it is opened each evening to allow boats to pass.

Of course, modern tracks are far too antiseptic to qualify - though the otherwise forgettable Valencia "street circuit" does cross a swing bridge. I had thought that said bridge was welded shut for the duration of the Grand Prix weekend but according to Martin Brundle (during qualifying for the recent European GP), it is opened each evening to allow boats to pass.

Every now and then, a major cycle race gets caught at a railway crossing. Imagine the ruckus if the GP circus was halted by an opening bridge to allow some gin palace to pass through...

What used to happen on those long distance events like the Mille Miglia - were there ever any railway crossing incidents?

Every now and then, a major cycle race gets caught at a railway crossing. Imagine the ruckus if the GP circus was halted by an opening bridge to allow some gin palace to pass through...

What used to happen on those long distance events like the Mille Miglia - were there ever any railway crossing incidents?

Isn't there a Hans Herremann tale of driving a 550 under the crossing barriers during the Mille Miglia, just in front of a train?

More prosaically, I'd like to nominate Russell at Snetterton in the year before it was tightened - when half the field of any given race was excluded for cutting the kerb too much - and then in the next year when it was so tight Pedro Chaves broke the gearbox in his F3000 Reynard because they didn't have a first gear low enough. It got better after that.

The tram lines at San Jose were some of the daftest things I've seen recently - I actually called my dad after the first lap and told him he had to watch the next restart.

How about Neath Abbey stock car track, built 1954-55 right beside the Abbey ruins and featuring a nice local material as a track surface....coal dust!
Bernie Ecclestone raced there a few times apparently.
Or Hednesford, built in the bowl of a former reservoir on Cannock Chase.
Or St Sampson's Harbour in Guernsey, where an oval track was marked out on the harbor floor when the tide went out. It boasting superb spectator viewing from about 20 feet up , on the harbour walls. It also featured fishing boats in the pits....

The figure of eight layout, preferably with the track crossing at different altitudes, should not be forgotten. On a conventional circuit running clockwise, cars and bikes turn right for 360 degrees more than they turn left. On a figure of eight, the numbers equal out.

I recall an F1 event a couple of years ago where one of the front wheels was not secured following a pit stop. Fortunately the driver was alerted to the problem and drove a very slow lap back to the pits. The team were lucky that the loose wheel was on the outside for those extra 360 degrees.

- an impossible hairpin with permanent yellows- a narrow bridge or arch with no overtaking- at least one railway crossing, preferably making cars take off a bit- tram lines along at least one straight- a point where two straights face each other, divided perhaps by a barn?- a really dangerously sited pit entry- a pit exit passing through a tunnel under the track- a section paved with some sort of slippery paving slabs- a corner paved with cobbles

almost we need to add a boardtrack extreme high banked curve sectionand a really off cambered cornerand a bit of dirt track with rutsand a high crowned paved bit tooand a corkscrew too

Shall we add the new pitlane in Silverstone?It's halfway underground and the driving bit is pretty tight as well.

Well, the grid being on a parade ground at Mallala is, and also the fact that it's an airfield circuit that doesn't use any of the runways, which were all grass.

My first recollection of motor racing was in the mid to late 1960's at Mallala, and the two things I remember was an open-wheeler cartwheeling off the track, and a fire hydrant being collected by a car and the remainder of that race was run with cars having to pass under a large water fountain which was dumping on the track and caused by the damaged hydrant.

The Dipper in particular is extraordinary in itself. I was recalling walking along the little dirt path beside the circuit at that point. Here and there you're pretty close to the track but what... 15 feet below it. Quite remarkable to see and hear cars dicing above you!

On the short straight before Barn corner at Cadwell there used to be a cottage (now demolished) whose garden path terminated at the trackisde in a wicket gate. It was reminiscent of a similar situation on the old Spa circuit that sometimes caught the eye of photographers.

On a different tack, at Mid Ohio when I visited years ago the pit garages had a raised viewing gallery along the back for spectators - brilliant! a terrific close up view of what was going on without getting in anyone's way at all.

On a different tack, at Mid Ohio when I visited years ago the pit garages had a raised viewing gallery along the back for spectators - brilliant! a terrific close up view of what was going on without getting in anyone's way at all.

The new-for-2011 Baltimore street course, due to a lack of space, had pit spaces down the entire length of the right side of pit lane, plus spaces for a few cars on the left side. Has this ever happened before?

Not really, the gallery was internal, imagine something like the Silverstone garages with a mezzanine walkway running the length inside. You had a plan view of the whole garage space and could walk through from one garage into the next.

A new candidate for the ridiculous is the new Silverstone, specifically the exit of Club onto the new pits straight. On the outside of the track some num-nuts had decided to glue on pieces of green astroturf, although it looked more like carpet. At the 6 hour ILMC sports car race last weekend, every time a car ran slightly wide, sections of carpet would be ripped up and strewn down the track, mainly for the next car to run over and move along a bit. By the end of the race several bits had made their way to near Abbey. What puzzled me was that each side of the astroturf the surface had just been painted green. Does anyone know if there's a specific reason why this stuff is used?

A new candidate for the ridiculous is the new Silverstone, specifically the exit of Club onto the new pits straight. On the outside of the track some num-nuts had decided to glue on pieces of green astroturf, although it looked more like carpet. At the 6 hour ILMC sports car race last weekend, every time a car ran slightly wide, sections of carpet would be ripped up and strewn down the track, mainly for the next car to run over and move along a bit. By the end of the race several bits had made their way to near Abbey. What puzzled me was that each side of the astroturf the surface had just been painted green. Does anyone know if there's a specific reason why this stuff is used?

Longford has a train crossing,,,, and a pub!And a lot of ex airfield tracks have or had some strange things like bomb shelters, hangars, ammunition huts and parade grounds. The start line at Mallala is on the parade ground!

You forgot to mention the Esses under the viaduct and the 2 bridges.

Good track and 1967 sedan race rendition here ...

A little off subject but I used to do mudsprints in a cow paddock around a dam. Plenty of cowshit there.

I went round the place in Google Earth (anything instead of studying!). Its a seriously insane circuit. One car wide for a good portion of the track around the arch. Loads of fast stretches leading to tight corners with brick walls or buildings. I know it was the 30's but still a crazy track.

When the 12 hours of Gheux sports car race was held at the Reims circuit for the first time in 1926, drivers found the sunrise as they approached the village of Thillois along Route Nationale 31 was dazzling and making it hard to see.

The solution was a giant velvet curtain which was hang at the start of the escape road just beyond the right hand corner into Thillois, which blocked the effects of the rising sun.

The now unused 30 degree banking of the Fuji Speedway was very dangerous as the drivers approached the banking over a blind crest and then dropped down into the banking, rather than climbing up the banking as was the case at Monza, Monthlery and other banked tracks.

What puzzled me was that each side of the astroturf the surface had just been painted green. Does anyone know if there's a specific reason why this stuff is used?

The aim of the 'astro-turf' is to provoke wheelspin on those cars which leave the racing surface - to slow the car and thus discourage the practice of running wide.Sadly - nobody has yet worked out how to secure the plastic grass sufficiently to cope with sverel hundred horse-power on regular and repetaed occurrences, resulting in "lawn clippings" and the like being scattered everywhere.Mind you, the old concrete wall inside Honda Corner at Amaroo Park certainly deterred drivers from cutting that corner - didn't it?

The Noosa Hillclimb in Queensland permits road-registered vehicles to leave the property and return to the pit/paddock area via the highway - drivers are encouraged to remove their helmets before doing so.

I believe the 'gravel' was a product called something like Lytag - a very light aggregate material. It was pretty effective, as I recall spectating there when a mini lost its brakes and buried itself in the mound, up to A piller. When they dragged it out there was remarkable little damage, probably less that would be caused by hitting another car.

Mount Cotton Hillclimb in Queensland uses the fibrous outer husk from macadamia nuts as an arresting trap at the hairpin located at the bottom of the first loop.Cars caught in "the nuts" seldom receive more damage than a light scratching of paintwork. Very effective, very safe and environmentally friendly also.

Didn't really know where else to put this, but it kinda qualifies - the original Melbourne Loop at Donington, complete with jumps in both directions! Here it is in 1995, before the "central reservation" was completely paved over by the Sunday market brigade.........